


Zero-Four

by Scarlet_Sky



Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, Bodyguard, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Music Video: Obsession (EXO), Slow Burn, Smut, Top Byun Baekhyun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 08:35:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28348518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlet_Sky/pseuds/Scarlet_Sky
Summary: Baekhyun x OC | Obsession!AU, Bodyguard!AUAfter receiving a death threat, Hyorin is assigned an enigmatic bodyguard with snow-white hair and emotionless eyes. He has a dark secret and she soon realizes that he is even more dangerous than the people who are after her. Trying to uncover the mystery surrounding him puts her life at risk, but when she realizes just how much depends on her success, she knows she can’t back out. Even if she dies in the process, she has to see this through until the end.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Original Female Character(s), Byun Baekhyun/Reader
Kudos: 10





	1. ONE

Fading sunlight fell through the large windows, illuminating the dining room with its warm glow. I sat in a chair opposite my uncle, waiting anxiously for him to speak. When he had asked me to meet him here, I hadn’t known what to expect.

“I hired a suitable bodyguard for you, Hyorin,” my uncle announced, smiling at me. His name was Park Minho, a smart businessman in his fifties who had made lots of enemies over time. When the first death threat had arrived about a week ago, he had decided that I was in need of protection and now he had apparently found someone who was suited for the job. A part of me was nervous since I had never needed this level of protection before. How would it feel to be followed all day long by a random stranger? To be under constant watch wherever I went? The longer I pondered over it, the less I liked the idea since I valued my privacy. However, another part of me felt reassured knowing that I at least wouldn’t be defenseless if it came to the worst of the worst.

I didn’t know much about the people who had threatened my life, but I wasn’t stupid. Even if my uncle Minho was hesitant to reveal more about it, I was already aware that the threats were connected to his work as a CEO. He owned a successful pharma company that put various medical products on the market. Not everybody liked him, and some of his rivals would stop at nothing to get competition out of the way.

“I only want the best for my little girl,” he smiled and I grimaced in embarrassment.

“Uncle, please don’t call me that anymore, I’m 22!”

“I know, I know. It’s a habit,” he answered, laughing at me. Honestly, sometimes it was easy to forget that he was just my uncle since he kept acting like a father to me. Park Minho was my father’s brother, so it wasn’t all that far off. I knew that he could be cunning when his work was involved, but towards me, he always acted kindly. I was grateful that he had taken me in after my parents had died when I had still been in high school. He’d supported me, gave me a new home. And even now, in this terrible situation, he didn’t leave me alone.

“What I will tell you now has to stay our secret, do you understand? Only my bodyguard and my secretary know about it and it has to remain that way. My company’s reputation could be in danger if word got out.”

“I understand,” I said and watched him attentively, slowly growing nervous. I shifted around in my chair, folding my hands on my lap in an attempt to hide my inner turmoil.

My uncle leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “You see, your bodyguard is not… a normal person. He is different and that is why I want him to do the job,” Minho explained secretively. He was beating around the bush instead of addressing the matter directly; a bad habit he had picked up over the years.

“You mean he is in the military?” I guessed as it was the first thing that came to my mind, but he shook his head.

“No, that’s not it. He took part in a series of experiments that I have been conducting for a while. They are not exactly legal and therefore this must stay between us,” he said. I was shocked to hear this and didn’t know what to think of it. What did he mean by experiments? And if they were illegal, didn’t that make them a crime? My face must have betrayed my aversion since my uncle was quick to appease me. “Don’t worry, my dear. It’s nothing bad at all. We were simply trying to enhance the test person’s physical abilities and reached remarkable results.”

“It sounds very strange,” I said, frowning in worry and disbelief. I didn’t understand why my uncle would agree to use a human person for an experiment. All of this was hard to fathom and resulted in a headache. I breathed a deep sigh.

“As I said, it is fine. I can assure you that it was consensual.” I believed him, but there was something in his eyes that made me a bit suspicious. It was as if he was trying to hide something from me and the longer we spoke about the topic, the more uneasy I became. What kind of person was my bodyguard? All this made him sound like some sort of alien.

“He is the best choice for the job since he knows how to deal with any kind of threat. I want you to be safe,” Minho said. His smile was back, beaming at me like this was a completely normal conversation. I was baffled at his attitude, not sure what to say.

“I hope you’re right,” I muttered under my breath and decided that I would give this a chance. I would try my best to get along with my bodyguard since it would be better if we worked together, maybe even as friends. After all, he would be here to keep me safe and the least I could do was make his job easier. With this positive mindset, I managed to bury my uneasiness and concerns for now.

Before Minho could mention anything else, a knock sounded from the door, making both of us pause. “Looks like he’s here. About time,” he muttered annoyedly and got up from his chair. I moved to follow him. “Come in,” he said in a loud and authoritative tone.

When I glanced at the door that was opened swiftly, I felt like I was hit by a bolt of lightning. The stranger that entered the room was extraordinary. His hair was snow-white, with a small braid resting on his left shoulder. He wore an elegant black dress shirt paired with black trousers and shoes. His clothing did little to hide his lean and muscular build and I found myself blushing when I realized the direction my thoughts were going in. As he got closer and stopped in front of me and Minho, our gazes met briefly. His eyes were electric blue, so piercing that I forgot to breathe in shock. Although I hadn’t even spoken to him yet, a strange feeling washed over me as I watched him. His grim aura radiated danger and I had to fight the urge to move back, my instincts telling me that I shouldn’t be anywhere near him.

“How nice of you to join us,” Minho said, tone sounding slightly mocking. The stranger didn’t say anything, simply stared at him in silence. I was surprised by his distant behavior since I had expected him to at least introduce himself. However, it seemed like he didn’t care about formalities. My uncle, on the other hand, looked highly annoyed by now.

“This is Zero-Four, your new bodyguard,” he said directed to me. My brown eyes widened in surprise.

“Z-Zero…four?” I repeated reluctantly, trying to find out if he was joking. A person’s name couldn’t be a number, that would be ridiculous. However, my uncle was dead serious. He didn’t bat an eye while he gazed at me.

“He will be accompanying you whenever you leave the house and while you are home, he will be in the vicinity until the threat is eliminated,” Minho added. “If he does something you don’t approve of, you are to tell me immediately.”

I swallowed. What did Minho mean by that? Did I even want to find out? Suddenly, my initial plan to make friends with my bodyguard seemed a lot harder than expected. I didn’t even know his real name, hadn’t heard him speak a single word this whole time. He was a mystery to me. I glanced at him reluctantly, noting how attractive he looked. Nevertheless, there was an emptiness in his eyes that frightened me a bit. Not a single emotion was visible on his face as he listened to my uncle and I had no way to tell what he was thinking.

“And you, Zero-Four,” Minho said, glaring at the white-haired stranger. “I expect the best of you. If you fail and she is harmed in any way, you know what is going to happen to you. I think I made it clear yesterday.” My eyes widened. Had my uncle just… openly threatened him? But why? Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered, dimming slightly before shining a bit brighter. I looked at the chandelier in confusion, guessing that something was wrong with the electricity in the house.

“Stop it!” my uncle snapped without warning, making me flinch. My wide eyes came to rest on him, realizing that he was furious for some reason. His usual calm attitude was gone. I felt like I had missed something, following his glare that was directed at the white-haired stranger. “Do you think you can do whatever the hell you want?”

Not believing what I was hearing, my mouth fell open and I tensed, instinctively taking a step back. I had never heard Minho yell at someone before—he was always polite. This side of him was new to me and it unsettled me. “Uncle, what are you saying? He didn’t do anything,” I chimed in, noticing that his glare disappeared as soon as I spoke. He looked as if he had forgotten that I was in the room.

“Oh Hyorin, forgive me. That was very rude of me,” he said, smiling apologetically. “I lost my nerves for a moment. It won’t happen again, I promise.” Though he sounded nice, there was a certain edge in his tone that I didn’t quite like. “Do me a favor and show Zero-Four to his room, the one right next to yours. It’s late already and I know that you have lectures at university tomorrow, so don’t stay up too long.” And suddenly, he acted normally again, as if nothing had happened at all. I was confused by all this but tried my best to hide it.

“Okay, uncle. Good night,” I said and smiled tensely. Turning to the white-haired man, I realized that he had been watching me. The emptiness in his eyes prompted me to feel sad for some reason and I wondered why he constantly wore an expression of indifference. It made him appear apathetic and creepy. The idea of being alone with him scared me. I didn’t know yet if I could truly trust this person… he seemed to have his reasons for working here. “Please follow me,” I said quietly, avoiding his stare and turning around to leave the room. He didn’t say anything as expected, but I heard his footsteps behind me when I walked down the hallway.

The mansion I lived in with Minho and some employees was big, too big for my taste. I preferred small and cozy houses since I thought that they were more comfortable to live in. This mansion was ridiculously huge and often made me feel lost with its daunting size, but my uncle liked it and so I never complained. We climbed up a stairway and passed a window façade that allowed us to see the pool outside in the spacious garden. Right now, it was shrouded in darkness and the water ominously reflected the moonlight. Silence lay over us like a heavy blanket, but I was the only one affected by the tension it brought. My new bodyguard didn’t seem phased, staring straight ahead without showing a reaction. When we finally reached my room and consequently his that was right next to it, I held back a relieved sigh.

“Here we are, this is your room,” I said and smiled faintly at him. “By the way, my name is Hyorin. It’s nice to meet you.” Yet again, he didn’t show a reaction and didn’t say anything either. I found it awkward to be the only one who talked and that’s why I decided not to stay with him longer than needed. “See you tomorrow, sleep well.”

I forced a smile on my lips before I entered my room. As soon as the door was closed, I leaned against it and heaved a sigh. That certainly wasn’t what I had expected when Minho had told me he would hire a bodyguard. I got the feeling that the guy next door was dangerous, that he had something to hide, and since he hadn’t made any effort to be nice, I was very uneasy around him. Shouldn’t I feel safe around my own bodyguard? Right now, the exact opposite was the case. Shuddering, I walked over to my bed, sitting on its soft mattress. I buried my face in my hands tiredly. The constant fear and panic I experienced had taken their toll on me.

Ever since the first murder threat had arrived a week ago, I had lost sleep and worried all day and night about what might happen to me. The first letter had been written in red ink. It had been addressed to me and I opened it without expecting its horrifying content. It described in macabre detail how someone planned to murder me and mentioned parts of my daily schedule that nobody except me and my uncle could know. Following this, my uncle immediately decided that I wouldn’t leave the house until I had a bodyguard. I missed my classes and lectures at university for a few days, but it hardly mattered to me since I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on them anyway. It was a mystery to me why someone would want to hurt me, but I suspected that my uncle had a good idea of what was going on. The past week, he had acted reserved, often vanishing into his office to take phone calls and he never allowed me to listen in. It was clear at this point that he had a secret and it unnerved me how he kept me in the dark about it since it obviously concerned me when my _life_ was on the line. I could only hope that nothing bad would happen to me… dying was the last thing I wanted.

Could I trust this new bodyguard? He was like a statue, more dead than alive. How should I survive tomorrow with someone like him around? My uncle hadn’t been joking when he said that the white-haired man was different. I refused to call him Zero-Four since I found it very disrespectful to refer to someone by a number. Half of the night, I kept thinking about Minho’s words when he had mentioned the illegal experiments. The topic disturbed me and made me nervous. Another thing I didn’t understand was why he had yelled at my new bodyguard for absolutely no reason.

“What was that about?” I breathed, closing my eyes in desperation. Maybe I was reading too much into it, but I was convinced that the stranger hated my uncle for some reason, even though he was working for him. “If my uncle wants me to be close to that bodyguard all the time, I need to get along with him,” I thought to myself.

* * *

The next morning with him was just as awkward as the evening before. I sat next to him in the car, trying my best not to stare at him too much while he looked blankly out the window, concentrating on the traffic as he drove. His white hair was combed and his short braids rested on his shoulder. He wore a simple dark blue hoodie and jeans with combat boots, and I assumed he did it to blend in with the other students at the university. However, with his gorgeous looks and the unusual hair color, blending in would be impossible no matter what he wore. I was already dreading the looks I would receive when arriving at the building. Ever since word had gotten out that I was related to a rich CEO, people had started to treat me weirdly. Some would try their hardest to get on my good side, while others were rude and mean to me. I hated both.

“You never told me your name,” I said as the silence in the car became unbearable. He glanced at me momentarily, not saying anything. Perhaps I imagined it, but I could have sworn that he narrowed his eyes at me. “Um… I would like to know what I can call you,” I tried again, my tone filled with hope.

He stayed silent at first, but then he unexpectedly opened his mouth and I heard him speak for the first time. “Zero-Four,” he muttered, his voice low and husky, surprising me with its pleasant sound. At first, I was so baffled that he had answered me that his words didn’t even register in my mind. When my brain started to work again, I realized that he had simply told me the same number that my uncle had used the night before. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear at all! Exasperated, I crossed my arms and stared out the window, focusing on the buildings outside. Why didn’t he tell me his name? He had to have one! “But that’s just a number. Please tell me your name,” I tried once more, but I didn’t achieve anything. He went back to ignoring me.

When we arrived at the university campus, it was eight o’clock and my first lecture was about to start. I was studying economics and spent a lot of time here, either in the library or attending classes. However, since the threats had started, I didn’t feel comfortable in a public place anymore. I wanted to go home and hide underneath my blanket. It sounded childish and pathetic, but it was the truth.

We left the car and walked towards the building where the big lecture hall was located. Already, we received curious looks, but my bodyguard didn’t pay them any mind. He put his hands in his pockets, a look of mild annoyance crossing his face as we entered the lecture hall. I noticed that he kept close to me despite acting coldly and surveyed his surroundings attentively. His piercing blue eyes were constantly roaming around, never resting on anything or anyone for too long. His behavior made me nervous and so I quickly sat down in one of the back rows. He took a seat next to me, not making an effort to show interest when the lecture started. I, on the other hand, readied my netbook, already concentrating on the professor’s voice as he went over the attendance list. My eyes widened, realizing something. He would read the name of every student in the room and since “Zero-Four” had been registered to the university as well, I would probably find out his real name soon.

I listened carefully as the professor went through the list and every student briefly confirmed their presence. When he said an unfamiliar name, I perked up my ears. “Byun Baekhyun?” he asked and my eyes widened when my bodyguard carelessly lifted his arm. As the professor went on talking, I didn’t listen any longer, getting lost in my thoughts. So Baekhyun was his name! I liked it since it suited him. The only thing that weirded me out was the fact that Minho had insisted on calling him Zero-Four even though he clearly had a real name. What I didn’t understand either was why Baekhyun himself told me to call him that. It was confusing me so much that I couldn’t focus on the lecture at all. I was supposed to write down everything important, but the screen of my netbook stayed empty. Meanwhile, Baekhyun uninterestedly rested his chin in his hand, observing the other students. He never once looked at me. 

When the lecture was finally over, I slung my backpack over my shoulder, intending to leave as soon as possible, but I wasn’t fast enough. The people I wanted to avoid desperately had already seen me sitting next to the new guy and they came my way. “Fuck, this can’t happen, not when he’s around,” I thought to myself, throwing a glance over my shoulder to see Baekhyun following me with a distant look in his eyes. When he was distracted for a short moment, I ducked around a corner and let the crowd of students carry me away. I lost sight of him when more students streamed into the hallway.

The three students still managed to corner me, forming a half-circle around me. “If it isn’t Hyorin,” Miyeon taunted. She hadn’t liked me ever since she had found out that I was related to a rival of her father, another CEO. I thought that her behavior towards me was ridiculous since it wasn’t my fault our relatives were in constant competition. It didn’t have to extend to us, too.

As always, her two fanboys were with her, already judging me from head to toe. I was wearing a dark red shirt and jeans with sneakers; not elegant enough for their taste. “Shouldn’t you put more effort into your looks?” Kihyun mocked. “Also, you’re getting a little too comfortable with the new guy in my opinion.”

“What a bitch you are,” Miyeon added, exchanging a sinister look with Juwon. “Not that I would have expected anything else of you. It’s not like your parents are still around to teach you manners.”

That was a low blow, one that hurt. The death of my parents had left a hole in my heart and her words were like a knife that cut open the old wound. I clenched my hands into fists. “Look who’s talking, the only bitch here is you!” I snapped, getting angry at her for her rudeness. It was always the same with her and I hated it.

“Don’t you dare, you filthy…” she began, but she didn’t get to finish her sentence. When she suddenly stopped talking to stare at something behind me, I turned around only to come face to face with Baekhyun. The pissed-off look he wore was the first real emotion I had ever seen on him. His indifferent stare was a lot less scary than _this_. He didn’t need to say anything for me to know that he was aware I had run off on purpose. Since that made his job harder, he probably was angry at me now… so much for becoming friends with my bodyguard. Great.

“Are you done talking?” he snarled at Miyeon, making her stare at him in pure astonishment. Nobody ever dared to talk back at her and the fact that he had just done exactly that baffled her. Even Juwon and Kihyun kept quiet, clearly intimidated by Baekhyun’s piercing glare. He turned away without another word, and I took it as my cue to follow him. We left the three students behind and soon reached another corridor.

“I despise stuck-up people,” he spat angrily, and I was convinced that this included me. The look he sent me said it all. It was filled with hate and disgust. I felt offended but tried to see it from his perspective. I was a stranger to him; the rich niece of a CEO who he seemingly didn’t like. If he already hated my uncle, it was easy to hate me as well. However, I was anything but stuck-up and I decided at this very moment that I would prove him wrong. I would show him the real me and then he could still hate me if he wanted to. Maybe somewhere beneath his hard exterior, he had a soft heart. It was apparent that he had no desire to get closer to me other than what his job required of him. Making friends with him seemed a lost cause from the start, but I was stubborn. I would crack his shell somehow.

We spent the rest of the day on university grounds, as I had to study for the upcoming exams at the end of the semester. Baekhyun didn’t since he wasn’t a real student and so he spent most of the time either sitting close to my desk in the library or walking through the endless rows of bookshelves. When it was 6 pm, I closed my books and put away my notes, gaining the attention of Baekhyun who straightened up in his chair. He looked bored out of his mind and I felt guilty because I was the sole reason why he had been holed up in here all day. There were probably lots of better things he could have done in the meantime. Maybe I could make it up to him… I already had an idea and I hoped he would like it.

“I want to go somewhere before we head home,” I whispered to him before we left the library. I didn’t miss the annoyed sigh that left him at the idea of spending even more time with me. The guilt in my heart intensified, even though there was nothing to be guilty about. He was doing his job and it wasn’t my fault he didn’t like it.

He stayed next to me as we walked away from campus, eyeing our surroundings constantly until we reached a small park. My gaze landed on our destination; the ice cream parlor. It was still open even though it was already late. Walking towards it, my steps quickened. I loved the ice cream they offered here, it was the best in this area of Seoul. When I came to a stop in front of it, I turned to Baekhyun and smiled at him.

“Which flavor do you want? I’m paying, choose whatever you like,” I said. His blue eyes darted from me to the ice cream parlor and back. For a while, it seemed like he would never answer at all, so I was starting to get impatient.

“Come on, Baekhyun, pick something!” I urged, prompting him to look at me. I realized that I had unintentionally called him by his real name, a fact that hadn’t gone unnoticed by him. Astonishment flickered through his eyes before he hid the emotion behind an unreadable expression. He clearly hadn’t expected me to care enough to remember his name and it saddened me that he thought so little of me. I hadn’t been anything but nice to him so far and yet he treated me like I was a monster.

“Don’t you have a favorite ice cream flavor?” I asked when he still didn’t answer.

“I haven’t eaten ice cream in years,” he muttered lowly, the rough sound of his voice making me shiver.

“O-Oh,” I stuttered, caught off guard by this new revelation. How was that even possible? He was an adult, most likely a bit older than me and he hadn’t had ice cream in such a long time? Where in the world had he lived until now? I was careful to hide my bewilderment as I entered the parlor, ordering two cones of ice cream. I picked chocolate for me and strawberry for him, hoping he would like it. When I left the shop, I held out a cone to him.

“Here, for you,” I said when he didn’t react. He watched me with a cautious gaze like he would expect me to change my mind and throw it away or something. “ _Baekhyun_ ,” I whined impatiently because I wanted to start eating before it began to melt. Now, he finally moved and took the cone, looking at it with a strange expression. When he stretched his arm, the long sleeve of his hoodie slipped a little and revealed a metal bracelet that he wore around his wrist. I read the number 04 engraved on it, a barcode next to it. Before I could make sense of what I was seeing, he’d moved his arm away, and the sleeve covered the odd bracelet up.

I glanced at his face, curious if he liked the strawberry ice cream. When he tried it, he paused for a moment, looking at it in a way that could only be described as surprised. He seemed to be content with the flavor I had picked, and I got the feeling that it had been a good idea to come here. We sat down on a bench under the trees, finishing our ice cream and watching people passing us by. The silence between us wasn’t as tense as it had been this morning in the car. Now it barely bothered me, and time passed quicker than I realized. Soon, the crowds in the park disappeared, leaving it almost empty. Only a few people were still around and most of them looked shady.

“We should leave,” Baekhyun said and got up. I nodded and followed him without objections since I didn’t like the stares we received from some strangers. The sun had disappeared now, and the darkness brought my anxiety back. In the past hour, I had forgotten about the danger I was in, but now my fear was tormenting me again. I was an idiot for not paying attention to the time and paid the price. It was good that I had a bodyguard, or else I would have lost my nerves. Admittedly, I had never seen Baekhyun fight anyone and didn’t know what he was capable of. He didn’t carry any weapons with him; no gun, no taser, or knife. How did he plan on defending himself and me if push came to shove?

“Why don’t you carry a weapon?” I asked when my curiosity boiled over.

He stared straight ahead at the empty street as he answered. “Because I don’t need one.” I could have sworn his tone sounded cocky, but it was hard to tell with him.

“Uh… okay? I’m assuming you’re good at martial arts, then?” I remembered that my uncle mentioned something about him being stronger than average people due to this weird experiment, but I didn’t know much about the matter. The whole topic weirded me out. It was creepy as hell and it made me wonder what kinds of things Baekhyun had to go through before he began working as a bodyguard.

“Something like that,” he replied curtly, his eyes losing their shine and going back to that very same empty look that I had already noticed many times before.


	2. TWO

When Baekhyun and I returned home, my uncle Minho was already waiting for us. He was in a bad mood, glancing pointedly at his wristwatch. “Where were you? You are very late,” he scolded, mostly glaring at Baekhyun who remained silent. He watched my uncle without a reaction as if he hadn’t even heard him. The empty look in his blue eyes scared me. “Are you deaf, Zero-Four?” Minho grumbled, irritated at his lack of an answer.

“I hear you,” Baekhyun replied apathetically. The mood in the room was incredibly uncomfortable, and it didn’t take long for me to decide to speak up. “I wanted to have ice cream after university, so it got a little later. I’m sorry, uncle. It’s my fault,” I explained politely, hoping it would calm him down a bit. Indeed, it did. His scowl disappeared and he sighed.

“I understand, but be more careful next time and don’t stay out so late,” he said, not quite meeting my gaze.

“What happened?” I asked since I knew that something wasn’t right.

My uncle sighed again, his eyes turning darker. “Another letter came. It was addressed to you again.”

I breathed in shakily, clenching my fists. “W-What?”

“It contained photos of you; photos that were taken today,” he said gravely. “Someone was tailing you, and your good for nothing bodyguard did not even notice.” His glare was smoldering, voice threateningly low as he approached Baekhyun who was unaffected by his anger. He didn’t flinch. “I don’t like to repeat myself, Zero-Four, but I’m going to do it now. You know what happens when she gets hurt, do you?”

Something flickered through Baekhyun’s blue eyes, darkening them a fraction, but it was over before I knew it. “Yes,” he answered tersely.

“Good. Hyorin, there is something that I need to speak to him about. Would you leave us alone?”

A sense of ominous foreboding overcame me, but I didn’t know why or what it meant. I didn’t like the thought of leaving them alone. It was rare to see my uncle so angry; he had been acting strangely lately and it was starting to worry me. I saw less and less of the kind man that had taken me in years ago. Sometimes he was like a stranger, his mood swings scaring me.

“Why can’t I stay?” I asked stubbornly which only served to annoy him further.

“Because this doesn’t concern you,” he retorted.

“Go, it’s fine,” Baekhyun said and again, his vacant stare made it seem like he wasn’t truly alive. I hated seeing it… something about it bothered me to no end. Sighing inwardly, I nodded at them and went up the stairs, leaving them behind. 

I entered my room and closed the door, putting down my bag that contained my notes from today’s lectures at university. Since I had missed a week of classes and lectures, I had some catching up to do and therefore I decided to get to work right away. My uncle had high expectations of me when it came to my grades and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I booted up my computer and clicked through a few files before I opened one of them. Sitting down at my desk, I readied myself for another boring hour of studying. I managed to stay focused and got most of my tasks done until something weird happened in my room.

Without prior warning, the lamp on the ceiling got insanely bright, forcing me to shield my eyes with my arm. “What’s going on?” I exclaimed in shock. Seconds after they had flared up, the lights went out, shrouding my room in darkness. I sat in my chair with a straight back, looking around, thinking that someone had messed with the electricity. But if that was the case, then why was my computer still working? If the electricity had been cut or there had been a short circuit or a power outage, shouldn’t it have turned off? I got up and walked over to the window, peering outside, but I didn’t see anything suspicious other than the fact that the lamps in the garden were dark now. They usually stayed on all night. Our security personnel at the property gate preferred it when the area was lit up since it was easier to keep watch.

“Ever since the damn threats started, everything is all fucked up in this house,” I muttered, closing the curtains and taking a step back from the window. I felt anything but safe in here and my new bodyguard didn’t exactly change that either since I wasn’t sure if I could trust him. As far as I could tell, he still hadn’t returned from the meeting with my uncle. I would have heard him entering his room, but it had been dead silent in the past hour. What were they doing for that long?

Furrowing my brow, I moved over to the light switch, but no matter what I did, the lamp didn’t turn on again. It was probably broken…. I didn’t like the darkness and hoped that this would go back to normal soon. Making a mental note to tell the butler about it tomorrow, I got ready for bed since it was late. He would surely be able to fix the problem.

* * *

It was Saturday morning, and I woke up early, the warm rays of the sun shining in my face. Getting up, I took a shower, dried my hair, and got dressed. Since it was time for breakfast, I stopped in front of Baekhyun’s door and knocked. He should try our cook’s food too, it was delicious and it might cheer him up after what happened yesterday. I waited for a bit, but when I didn’t receive an answer, I knocked again.

“Baekhyun, are you in there?” I called. Silence greeted me. Worried, I opened the door and entered his room, finding it empty. The adjacent bathroom was empty as well—he wasn’t here. “That’s strange. Where could he be?” As I looked around curiously, I realized how empty and barren the room was. It had white walls and curtains, the floor was made of dark wood and only a few pieces of furniture were here. Only the most necessary, like a bed, a desk, and a drawer. There was no decoration at all and no color either. How could someone feel at home in a depressing place like this? It was impossible and I knew it.

“I have to do something about it,” I mused, deciding to decorate it as soon as I had time. This room was in dire need of colors.

I suspected that Baekhyun was in the dining room already, and so I went downstairs, intending to meet him and Minho for breakfast. When I entered, my uncle was sitting at the table, and I saw that the cook had prepared the food as well. However, Baekhyun was nowhere to be found. “Good morning, Hyorin,” Minho smiled, gesturing for me to take a seat.

“Good morning,” I replied politely, returning his smile and filling my cup with steaming hot coffee before adding a spoon of sugar to it. I grabbed an apple from the basket and took a bite. “Do you have any plans for today?”

My uncle nodded in confirmation, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Yes, I have a meeting with a business partner.”

“I will see you in the evening, then?” I asked, tilting my head.

“I don’t know yet if I will be back in time for dinner. If I am late, don’t wait for me when you’re hungry, okay?” he smiled faintly, his eyes sparkling warmly. “By the way, how is university going?”

“Everything is fine, I’ve been catching up on the things I’ve missed in the past week and so far it’s going well,” I explained, taking a sip of my coffee.

“You should always work hard on these things. I want you to be successful in life.” A strict look appeared on his face, making me sigh inwardly. He kept reminding me and I was getting tired of it, but I remembered my manners and kept my thoughts to myself, opting to change the topic.

“Uncle, have you seen Baekhyun?”

His eyebrows rose and the corners of his mouth turned down slightly. “Where did you hear that name?” he asked sharply.

“In the lecture yesterday… when the professor went over the attendance list?” I replied, puzzled by his reaction. I leaned back in my seat, gauging his reaction carefully.

“My dear, he is called Zero-Four and you should never use his other name.”

“Why not? It’s only right to call him by his name. He is a human person after all and not a thing.”

Minho hesitated, taking too long to answer. “Yes, he is.”

“Then why are you making such a fuss over a name?”

“Don’t think too much about this, Hyorin. It isn’t of any importance to you and you shouldn’t concern yourself with this matter. Just… concentrate on your studies,” he said, growing impatient with my persistence.

“But…”

“Enough!” he yelled suddenly, making me flinch back. Fury shone in his eyes before he suppressed it, hiding his thoughts behind a wall of indifference. I gritted my teeth, not liking his peculiar behavior. It was scary.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. I didn’t even know what I was apologizing for. In my opinion, I hadn’t done anything wrong, but it was obvious that it would not be wise to anger him further. “Uncle, if something is troubling you, you can always talk to me about it,” I offered, forcing a smile on my lips.

“I know that,” he sighed, not meeting my eyes. “Everything is fine, don’t worry.”

The conversation came to a halt after that and when breakfast was over, I was relieved and left the dining room immediately. Since I didn’t have lectures today, I already made plans for something that I wanted to do, but in order to leave the house, I needed to take Baekhyun with me and right now, he was nowhere to be found. “I should tell the butler about the problem with the lamps first,” I muttered to myself and walked towards the living room where I suspected him to be. As I entered the spacious room, I discovered him close to the windows, cleaning the expensive wine glasses that were kept in a cabinet. “Byungho?” I asked and watched him turn around and look at me questioningly.

“Yes, Miss Park?” He was _always_ polite. No matter how many times I told him to talk to me like I was a friend, he never complied. Byungho was in his 50s and had been working in the mansion longer than I had lived here and therefore he knew every nook and cranny of the building. Whenever there was a problem, I could always count on him to help me. “I noticed something weird yesterday and I was wondering if you could check it out? The lamps in my room were flickering and then went dark. The ones in the garden malfunctioned as well.”

“I will take care of it later and fix it until the evening,” he said and smiled kindly.

“Thank you so much, Byungho!” I returned his smile and walked back up the stairs, intending to look for Baekhyun. Maybe he was around somewhere.

I climbed up the stairs and went to knock on his door.

“Baekhyun, it’s me. Are you in there?” I was about to leave when I heard shuffling and then the door opened, allowing me to see inside his room. It was fairly dark as he had closed the curtains. Meeting his eyes, I was saddened to see that they were apathetic, not showing a reaction to me whatsoever. He seemed pale and tired and I wondered what was going on with him.

“Are you okay?” I asked worriedly, but his expression didn’t budge. He was like a block of ice.

“Yes,” he answered curtly without hesitation. I knew he was lying. It was obvious and it upset me. He could be honest with me, it wasn’t like I would get mad at him or anything.

“Baekhyun,” I said pointedly, noting how life returned to his dead eyes for a short second. “I’m worried about you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes,” he repeated. I sighed and gave up. It wasn’t like he would open up to me suddenly, why did I even try?

“I would like to go somewhere later, but only if you want to,” I said. I didn’t want to force him to go outside when he wasn’t feeling well, but he didn’t react to my words, radiating indifference. He reminded me of a robot when he was like this. Since yesterday evening, it had gotten worse, but I didn’t know why. “Well, I’ll get ready then… meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes,” I said and left to go to my room.

* * *

The car ride was silent; not that I had expected anything else. I soon grew bored with watching the scenery pass by, directing my gaze at my bodyguard instead. He navigated the car through traffic, ignoring me, and pretending I wasn’t even here. I couldn’t help but admire his light blue eyes and wondered if such a bright iris was natural. Maybe he was wearing contacts? Some strands of his white hair framed his face, looking unruly. When he moved to shift to a higher gear, accelerating the car, the sleeve of his black shirt slipped back, allowing me to see the weird metal bracelet he wore. _Zero-Four_. I wondered what in the world the number engraved on it meant, but when I noticed something else, I paused in shock. The skin around the bracelet was red and looked sore like he had burned himself somehow. What happened to him? I considered asking him, but I already knew that he wouldn’t tell me. He ought to be more open with me, but so far, he didn’t seem to trust me nor like me. So much for making friends with him…

The car turned right at the next intersection and we reached our destination. We left the car and I grinned in excitement as I laid eyes on a huge furniture store. It offered a variety of decorations and accessories—perfect for what I had in mind. Baekhyun barely acknowledged me as we entered, looking around attentively to spot possible threats. While I browsed through various colorful items, I hesitated as I realized something.

“Baekhyun?” I asked, feeling his cold gaze move to me. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Why would you ask that?” he muttered lowly, tilting his head. It seemed like he was trying to figure out what I was thinking.

“It’s a secret. Just answer the question, please.”

“I don’t know,” he replied curtly before his attention went back to the people nearby.

That wasn’t exactly helpful… I sighed to myself and walked into the next aisle, inspecting the decoration items lined up on the shelves. I didn’t know much about him and had no clue what he would like, so I just picked whatever caught my eye, hoping it was okay. He watched me from time to time, but also kept his eyes on our surroundings, glaring at everybody who got too close which resulted in people keeping their distance from us.

After I paid, we walked outside to the parking lot, crossing a street. It was early afternoon and there was time left to do something else, but I didn’t know what. Asking my grumpy companion for advice was out of the question, too… Besides, it wasn’t smart to stay outside for too long in this current situation. I could never know when something bad would happen.

As soon as I ended that thought, my luck ran out. My head snapped around when I heard surprised screams of people and saw a black van speeding towards me. It accelerated, getting closer, but I was frozen and unable to move. My eyes widened in fear.

“Move!” I heard Baekhyun shout, grabbing my arm and pulling me backward harshly. He used so much force that we both fell to the ground as the vehicle passed us. I collided with him and landed on his chest. For a moment, I looked right into his blue eyes before I realized the position we were in and quickly got up. He grimaced as he stood up, holding his side as if he was in pain. I feared that he had hurt himself, but he didn’t give me a chance to ask. He took my wrist and pulled me after him as he ran to the car, throwing the door open so I could get in. Faster than I expected, he sat in the driver seat and left the parking lot.

All this hadn’t taken longer than a minute, resulting in me being overwhelmed. Only slowly did I realize that this had been an attempt on my life… and it would have been successful had I been alone. My breaths became uneven as panic consumed me. I barely registered how Baekhyun expertly drove through traffic, accelerating to leave any pursuers behind. The horrible sight of the black van speeding towards me repeated endlessly in my mind. I couldn’t shake it off and hugged myself in an attempt to calm down. My heart was still racing like crazy, its thumps loud in my ears. It took me a long while to finally get over the shock and the farther away we drove from the parking lot, the better I felt. Baekhyun didn’t speak a word the whole time we were in the car and whenever I looked at him, he wore a vacant expression. What we had experienced just now hadn’t phased him in the slightest.

We reached the mansion about half an hour later, much to my relief. After we passed the gate and were behind the safe walls of the property, I heaved a sigh, the tension in my body vanishing. We left the car, entering the house through the front door. My uncle wasn’t here yet since his car wasn’t parked in the garage. I would have to tell him about this later when he returned…

Baekhyun climbed the stairs that led to his room, probably intending to avoid me for now, but I wouldn’t let him. There was something I had to get off my chest first. “Baekhyun!” I called after him, and he stopped to turn around to me, watching me with a strange look in his eyes. “Thank you for your help earlier,” I said and smiled at him.

He stared, slowly shaking off his disbelief. “I was just doing my job,” he replied without letting me see what he was thinking. There was no emotion in his voice either.

“I’m very grateful that you are here,” I said honestly. It could have been my imagination, but I thought I saw his eyes brighten a bit as I said this. As usual, he didn’t reply and when he moved to enter his room, I stopped him once more. “Wait!” Feeling shy all of a sudden, I looked at the bag in my hands, avoiding his piercing gaze. “I have… I have a surprise for you. But I need a few minutes to prepare it. Could you let me into your room for a moment?”

He just stared at me for what felt like an eternity and I was growing more nervous by the second. There was disbelief in his eyes like he thought I had gone mad for saying such a thing. “Fine,” he said, moving out of the way so I could go in. I smiled at him and closed the door behind me. 

“Phew, why is it so awkward to talk to him?” I muttered, setting the bag down on the floor. I began my task and decorated the barren room with the things I had bought earlier. First, I exchanged the boring white curtains for light blue ones. As cheesy as it sounded, I had chosen the color because it reminded me of his eyes. Next, put a poster on the wall that depicted the bright blue sky over Seoul. When I had seen it in the store, I thought it would make the room appear livelier. I put a few trinkets and decoration on the desk and looked around, satisfied with the result. The terrible white of the room had reminded me of a hospital… and that was the last place someone wanted to live.

I went outside and saw Baekhyun standing in the hallway, looking at the garden through the huge windows. Before I could call out to him, the butler Byungho appeared, walking towards me with a smile. “There you are!” he said, catching Baekhyun’s attention who watched him silently as he spoke to me.

“Hello, Byungho,” I answered.

“I’ve looked into the issue you told me about this morning. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything wrong; the lamps are fine,” he explained, looking at me apologetically.

“I understand,” I sighed, shoulders sinking in defeat.

“You are still thinking of it after all these years,” he concluded, watching me with pity in his eyes.

“I can’t forget what happened. Whenever it gets dark, the memories come back, so I leave the lights on when I go to sleep,” I admitted quietly before I remembered that Baekhyun was listening in. Immediately, I straightened up and got myself together. I couldn’t let my pathetic weakness show.

“I’m sorry, Hyorin. I don’t know what caused it but if it happens again, please tell me.”

“Thank you,” I said and smiled faintly as he excused himself to walk back downstairs. I looked after him for a moment before I finally turned to Baekhyun. He had been watching me all this time and his piercing stare made me uneasy. “Sorry for the wait. Take a look at your room, I made a few changes!”

I observed him excitedly as he entered his room and it was easy to see that this wasn’t what he had expected when I’d told him about the surprise. Even though he hardly let it show, I knew that he liked it since the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I thought the room was too empty and boring for someone to feel comfortable. I wanted to make sure you feel right at home in here.”

As I turned to leave the room, I heard his low and husky voice saying, “You know… being scared of the dark isn’t something to be ashamed of.”

My eyes widened and my grip on the doorknob tightened. “Maybe you’re right.”


	3. THREE

I walked downstairs to the living room where I lingered for a moment, trying to clear my thoughts. I sat down on the sofa and leaned back, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. When I had gotten up this morning, I hadn’t expected so much to happen today. I had planned to spend the day shopping and hanging out at home afterward but now I was too restless to relax, my thoughts revolving around today’s incidents. My uncle hadn’t exactly been friendly to me during breakfast and his behavior had been questionable. Only hours later, some psycho had tried to run me over with a car before vanishing into thin air. I didn’t have a clue who it had been since the windows had been tinted, but even if that hadn’t been the case, I had been too panicked to pay attention to the driver.

When I heard the front door open, I got up and left the living room, seeing my uncle Minho and his bodyguard Li Chang arrive. The latter was from China and had worked in the military for years. I didn’t know much about him except that he was very serious with an aura that demanded respect. He intimidated me and therefore I usually tried my best to avoid him. Since he was in his forties already and had been working for my uncle for a while, he was very experienced. I didn’t doubt that he could kill someone if he wanted to.

“Hyorin!” Minho said, his face showing a faint smile when he noticed me. “Did you have a nice day?” He came to a halt in front of me, his bodyguard Li staying right behind him. He glowered at me and I fought the urge to move back.

“There’s something you should know, uncle,” I began hesitatingly, not sure how I should tell him. When he gestured for me to go on, I sighed. “I was shopping today, and when I returned to the parking lot, a black van almost ran me over. It… it couldn’t have been a coincidence.”

Minho scowled. “What about Zero-Four? Didn’t you bring him?”

“Don’t worry, he was with me. He was the one who pulled me out of the way; I would be dead if it weren’t for him,” I explained, not hiding my gratefulness. My answer seemed to please my uncle and his expression relaxed.

“That’s good. I knew he would be the right person for the job,” he muttered to himself while Li’s face darkened. He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, _“Fucking lab rat.”_ My uncle shot him a sharp look and he shut up immediately, gritting his teeth.

At the very same moment, I heard steps coming up behind me and looked over my shoulder to see Baekhyun approaching us. He glanced at me briefly before his icy eyes came to rest on Li Chang. “Good work today, Zero-Four. I heard what you did. You’ve proven your worth,” my uncle smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His gaze was cold as it landed on the white-haired bodyguard who in turn seemed disinterested, not caring about the praise.

The atmosphere got tense for some reason and I glanced at Baekhyun who stood next to me and glared at Li with so much hate in his eyes that I was left speechless. He hardly ever showed emotions and thus, this came as a shock. His back was rigid, and it looked like he had to keep himself together not to murder Li right where he stood. Li, on the other hand, smirked arrogantly, not caring about his fury in the slightest.

My uncle had moved on to the living room by now and didn’t notice, but I remained next to Baekhyun. I blinked in confusion when the chandelier above us flickered, its light vanishing for a short moment.

Li laughed darkly, scrutinizing Baekhyun with his stare as he passed us by. “Filthy dog. Your little tricks won’t scare me,” he spat and disappeared into the living room. My anger at him flared when I heard the insult. I was about to yell after him, but one glance in Baekhyun’s face shut me up. The fury in his eyes had faded, leaving an empty and dead look that shook me to the core. I didn’t know what made him react in such a way, and it hurt me to see him like this.

“Don’t listen to anything he says, Baekhyun,” I whispered, smiling sadly at him. He stayed silent and moved past me to return to his room.

* * *

I was walking up and down in my room restlessly, the clock hanging over my bed showing 1 am. The lights were on and I had the curtains drawn. Today’s murder attempt had scared me terribly and I couldn’t stop thinking about how close I had been to dying. How had these criminals found me? Did they track all of my movements, no matter where I went? The thought was unsettling, driving me crazy. I sighed deeply, staring at the door that led to the hallway.

The house was silent. There was no sound anywhere around me and this didn’t serve to calm me down at all. The others were probably sleeping; Baekhyun as well. I hadn’t seen him since he went back to his room. He hadn’t shown up for dinner, leaving me alone with Li and my uncle. The bodyguard had glanced at me mockingly the entire time until I had almost lost my nerves. I didn’t know what his problem was. He had never liked me, from the day six years ago when I moved into this mansion he had always looked down on me. I knew that he saw me as a weak little girl that couldn’t take care of herself. Ever since Baekhyun had become my bodyguard, his attitude towards me had worsened. I wondered why Baekhyun and Li hated each other so much. Li kept insulting him and treating him like dirt and for some reason, Baekhyun didn’t do anything about it.

I didn’t sleep much tonight, my restless thoughts keeping me up. When dawn broke, I woke up, feeling more dead than alive. I trudged to the bathroom and glared at my reflection in the mirror. My light brown eyes stared back at me, looking drained and tired. I was pale and my black hair was all tangled. “Just great,” I complained before getting into the shower. The warm water helped in waking me up and washed some of the exhaustion away. When I was done, I put on black jeans and a comfy hoody, its long sleeves dangling over my hands.

I left my room, walking to the kitchen area where I heard someone humming a song. Recognizing the voice, my lips formed a smile. It looked like Jennie was responsible for breakfast today. My uncle had employed two different cooks that took turns in working here. Whenever Jennie was in the house, I liked to pay her a visit to talk to her. She was a friend of mine and her cooking was amazing, too.

“Good morning, Jennie,” I said as I walked into the kitchen, seeing that she was about to start making coffee. She turned around, her warm brown eyes coming to rest on me.

“Hyorin! I haven’t seen you in a while,” she grinned and happily hugged me. I laughed, playfully ruffling her hair.

“How was your vacation?” I asked, leaning against the kitchen counter while she started the coffee machine.

“Amazing! I was with my boyfriend all week and we visited so many places together. Yesterday, we went to the local amusement park,” she beamed, twirling a lock of her dyed blonde hair around her finger. “It was so funny! And the Ferris wheel was the best part.”

“I can imagine that,” I grinned. “Good to hear you had fun, but I’m glad you’re back. I missed you.”

Her pink lips formed a smile. “Aww, Hyorin. That’s cute!” She went over to the coffee machine, readied two cups for us, and filled them with steaming coffee. “Here, this is for you. Breakfast will be at 9 am, so there’s some time left. How about we sit down and talk?”

I nodded at her and sat down at the table in the corner, holding on to the warm cup in my hands. “So, Hyorin,” she started. The friendliness was gone from her face and her voice turned serious. “I heard from Byungho about what happened last week. You… you received death threats and… you need a bodyguard now. Why didn’t you call me and tell me about it? I would have come over straight away.”

“That’s exactly why I didn’t call. I didn’t want to ruin your vacation, you deserved some time off and I didn’t want to worry you,” I said, smiling sadly as I looked at my reflection in the coffee cup.

“You should stop thinking about everyone else so much and start worrying about yourself more,” she sighed, shaking her head. “Do you have any idea who could have sent the threats?”

I glanced at the open door and only began to speak when I was sure that nobody was around. “I suspect that my uncle knows more about it. However, for whatever reason, he doesn’t tell me anything. I don’t like the fact that he keeps something so important from me.”

She looked at me for a very long moment without saying a word. The silence dragged on endlessly as she kept her thoughts to herself. Ultimately, she pursed her lips and leaned forward in her chair. “This is very strange… to be honest, I’ve always thought that your uncle is a little too… secretive. He has a certain aura and I don’t feel particularly comfortable around him,” she muttered reluctantly, gauging my reaction.

“Really? I’m grateful that he took me in when my parents died since I would have ended up in an orphanage if it weren’t for him,” I explained with a furrowed brow. “Why are you uncomfortable around him?”

“It’s hard to explain. Sometimes, there’s this cold look in his eyes that makes me think he isn’t who he claims to be,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee and falling silent. Her words surprised me, and I recalled my most recent conversations with Minho. Before this mess with the death threats began, he would never yell at me, but lately, he did it quite often. He never told me anything either, even when I asked him, and it was starting to get on my nerves.

“By the way, Hyorin,” Jennie said, catching my gaze. “I saw your bodyguard when I arrived this morning.” A teasing spark shimmered in her eyes.

“And?”

“He is _hot_ ,” she grinned, winking at me. “You are one lucky girl. I’d be all over him if I were you. Must be great to have him around you all day.”

I groaned. Of course, that was the first thing she would think of. I hid my face in my hands. “Jennie… you have a boyfriend already.”

“I knooow, just stating facts. Besides, I’m not trying to steal him from you, but sometimes you need a little push when it comes to love.”

“We barely know each other,” I said, rolling my eyes at her. “He’s not very talkative and I think he doesn’t like me too much either.” The gloomy tone in my voice was picked up by Jennie who smiled faintly at me.

“Well, maybe he will warm up to you when he gets to know you more? If some time passes, things might change,” she said. “And if you two become a couple, we need to go on a double date!”

I snorted at the thought, imagining scary Baekhyun sitting in a restaurant with me and two strangers. He’d probably glower at the waiters until they would run away screaming. Yeah, no… that wouldn’t end well.

* * *

A week passed and we were no closer to finding out who sent the threats. As far as I knew, my uncle had hired a detective to take care of the matter, but so far, it had been a fruitless undertaking. The situation ate at my nerves. I was on edge constantly when I was in university attending lectures and I only left the house when it was absolutely necessary. Baekhyun would always accompany me and gradually, I got used to his presence. He still wasn’t very talkative, but I felt that the atmosphere between us wasn’t as tense anymore as it had been in the beginning. Perhaps he was warming up to me too. It was hard to say since he didn’t share his thoughts with me, keeping everything to himself.

Today, I had classes until late in the evening, approximately 8 pm. It was Wednesday and I couldn’t wait for the weekend to start. When it was Saturday or Sunday, I could just stay home and didn’t have to worry so much about being in danger. I was sitting in one of the back rows of the lecture hall, my netbook in front of me while Baekhyun sat next to me and looked like he was about to fall asleep in boredom. It didn’t appear like political economy was very interesting to him. I hid an amused grin and concentrated on the professor who showed a PowerPoint presentation that had been going on for a while. It was important for me to understand everything and so I forced myself to listen to him even though I would rather be lazy like my bodyguard.

When the clock finally struck 8, it was already dark outside. I hastily shoved my things into my backpack and put on my jacket. Baekhyun shared a look with me and left the lecture hall while I followed closely. It was honestly a bit difficult not to lose him among all the students that left the hall at the same time. Around 300 people attended the lecture as it was one of the biggest the university offered. And of course, everyone was eager to get home which meant the hallways were filled with complete and utter chaos. It took a while to reach the exit and when I finally did, I caught up to Baekhyun who looked annoyed, glaring at the other students with icy eyes. His light hair color made him stick out from the crowd and so it was easy to find him.

“That was terrible,” I commented and sighed. The crowd soon dispersed, leaving us alone on the dimly lit campus area. The surrounding buildings were all shrouded in darkness and didn’t look very inviting. I shuddered a little and felt Baekhyun’s gaze coming to rest on me. He watched me for a moment.

“We should leave,” he decided, throwing a look over his shoulder. I followed his gaze but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, only dark shadows. A distant memory flickered through my mind and made my fear surge. I hugged myself in an effort to calm down, but it didn’t work so well. Walking next to Baekhyun, I stayed closer to him than usual and anxiously let my eyes roam around. We took a small gravel path that led through a park located in the middle of the campus area. It would lead us straight to the parking lot. During the daytime, I liked spending time here. It was a quiet place, the trees offering shade on hot summer days, and sometimes I came here to study when the library was too stuffy. But now, the shadows made me uneasy. A sense of foreboding grew within me, and I was afraid that something bad would happen while we were here.

As if some higher force had heard my thoughts and worries, the light of the streetlamps flared, brightening and illuminating a wider area. I looked around in disbelief, my mouth falling open. It was the first time that I had seen the old streetlamps on campus do that. They were usually quite dim and not very effective during nighttime.

“Something is wrong with the electricity in this area,” I mumbled. “But I’m not complaining.”

I caught Baekhyun’s gaze and was surprised to see an unusual spark in his eyes. It looked like he was amused about something and I got the feeling that I was the reason for it. He didn’t make sense, but since he never made sense, I didn’t think about it too much. The park was less scary now that the ominous shadows were gone and consequently, my mood lifted. I got lost in my thoughts as we walked, getting closer to the parking lot. I could already see it from afar and noted that it was mostly empty.

However, when we were about to leave the park, four people appeared at the end of the gravel path, moving towards us. I slowed down, not liking the way they were staring at us. They didn’t exactly look friendly as they approached, grinning sinisterly. When I spotted a knife in one of their hands, I knew that they weren’t here by coincidence. Most likely, they had been waiting for an unsuspecting student to come by.

“What are you doing here so late?” one of them taunted.

“None of your business,” I spat, glaring at him.

“If you give us your money, we might leave you alone…or maybe not,” he grinned not leaving doubts as to what he had planned. Baekhyun stepped in front of me, shielding me from their looks. I gazed at his back, noting how relaxed he seemed. He didn’t perceive the four men as a threat even though they outnumbered him. “Shut the fuck up. Waste of time,” he snarled, bored and annoyed at the same time.

“Who do you think you are, cocky asshole?” the stranger grunted, clearly angry. “Better give up now before you regret it.”

I heard a sound I thought I would never hear from my bodyguard. Baekhyun was _laughing_. He was laughing! I couldn’t believe it. It sounded mocking and not at all happy, but it was still a laugh. His behavior infuriated the men, making them approach us. “We’ll make you shut up soon enough,” one of them threatened, also pulling out a knife.

Baekhyun shot me a quick look over his shoulder. “Don’t move,” he ordered and I could only nod before he stormed at them so fast that his braid was flying after him. Like a flash, he reached the first one, avoiding the knife expertly and landing a hard punch to his jaw. I heard a disgusting crack and saw him fall over unconscious. Baekhyun immediately was cornered by the remaining three, but instead of fear, he wore a delirious look on his face. It made him appear like a completely different person and it unsettled me.

“Don’t tell me he enjoys this,” I whispered in disbelief, pressing a hand to my mouth as I watched the violent fight.

He punched the next one that dared to approach him in the stomach, causing him to stumble forward. Then, he rammed his elbow into his neck, making him fall to the ground with a choked scream. The man didn’t move anymore, but for a second it seemed like Baekhyun was about to continue attacking him. His blue eyes looked feral like he was driven by madness.

Only when the other two men closed in on him, he snapped out of it and shifted his attention to them. He kicked one violently in the chest, stealing the air from his lungs. After that, Baekhyun did something so vicious I was forced to look away. I heard a sickening crack, knowing that he had just broken a bone without being phased by the cruelty behind his action. His gaze was cold and calculating as he faced the last remaining man who wasn’t so full of himself anymore. Seeing his friends unconscious, one of them with a twisted and broken arm, made him shudder in fear, but he stood his ground.

Baekhyun mockingly smirked at him, his eyes shining with cruelty. It shocked me how strong he truly was. He didn’t shy away from using unnecessary violence to defeat his opponents. I couldn’t say that I approved of his way to deal with the problem, but I would have been done for had he not interfered and so I didn’t complain. The thugs had it coming after deciding to rob us. Not like they would have shown mercy either.

Baekhyun made short work of the last remaining opponent, taking him out effortlessly without breaking a sweat. With inhuman grace and speed, he ended the fistfight as the only person still standing. I stared at him with wide eyes and suddenly knew why my uncle had been so sure about him being a good bodyguard. How in the world had he done that just now?

I walked closer to him, intending to leave the area as soon as possible, but my steps faltered when I spotted something on his neck, just below the white hair. The number 04 was tattooed on his milky skin, its dark color prominent. I wondered why it had taken me so long to notice it and simultaneously asked myself why he needed to have a tattoo of that damn number. I was sick of hearing and seeing it.

He turned to me, brushing a few strands of white hair from his face. His blue eyes didn’t betray his thoughts as he gazed at me. “Let’s go,” he said lowly, nodding his chin in the direction of the parking lot. I didn’t have to be told twice, eager to get away from the disturbing scene.

“You’re surprisingly strong,” I said as we walked.

“Is that a compliment?”

“Um… maybe?” I replied unsurely. “At any rate, thanks.”

“I told you before, I was just doing my job.”

“That doesn’t stop me from being thankful,” I smiled.

He looked away quickly, keeping his eyes straight ahead, not speaking until we had reached the car. When he sat down and gripped the steering wheel, I realized that the knuckles of his right hand were bleeding, but he didn’t pay his injuries any mind as if he’d had to deal with worse before.

“You’re injured,” I said, frowning in worry.

“So?”

I rolled my eyes at his attitude and got the first aid kit from the back of the car. When I sat down next to him, I put the kit on my lap and opened it, removing antiseptic and some band-aids. He watched me with obvious confusion.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking care of you,” I replied curtly. “Give me your hand.”

When he didn’t react, I tugged at his sleeve with a pout on my lips. “Please, Baekhyun.”

“I heal fast,” he mumbled lowly, but still held his hand out to me.

“That doesn’t mean you’re immune to pain,” I countered. He didn’t reply and stared at me in bewilderment. I managed to shut him up with that since he kept quiet for the next minutes as I worked. Carefully, I used antiseptic on the bleeding injuries. Afterward, I took the band-aids and wrapped them around his fingers until it looked like he was wearing rings. Satisfied with my work, I took his injured hand in mine and looked at him.

“See, it’s better this way,” I smiled. “And next time something like this happens, I want you to tell me so I can take care of it, okay?”

He grumbled something under his breath, avoiding my eyes and moving his hand away. At first, I was a bit upset about his reaction, but when I saw his ears turn red, I hid a grin, suddenly feeling happy without even knowing why.


	4. FOUR

Back at the mansion, we were already awaited by my uncle and his secretary, Min Daejung, who was annoyed at our late arrival. He was in his fifties and just like the bodyguard Li Chang he had been working for my uncle for many years. They got along great, but unfortunately, I had never been fond of the stuck-up man. That’s why I had to hold in a groan when I saw him upon entering the house. He looked at his wristwatch before glaring at me.

“Young lady, are you not aware of how rude it is to keep people waiting?” he nagged before I even had the chance to open my mouth for a greeting. “It appears that you need another lesson in manners.”

I breathed a sigh. “Good evening, Mr. Min,” I said and bowed even though I wanted to run into my room and stay there for the rest of the night. However, I knew why he was here and therefore I was aware that I wouldn’t get away easily. He wanted to discuss an upcoming event with me because I was expected to attend, but with the current threat looming over me, I wasn’t thrilled about it.

“I apologize for being late.”

“You should be sorry,” he grumbled.

My uncle laughed, not noticing how annoyed I was. “Well, I’ll leave you to discuss the details then. Zero-Four, you will accompany them,” he ordered, voice turning sharp towards the end. Baekhyun didn’t say anything, but he followed Min and me into the dining room where we took our seats. He sat in the chair next to me, leaning back with disinterest painted all over his face. It would have been amusing and I would have smiled a little more, had I not felt Min’s harsh stare on me this whole time.

“Miss Park, I do not know why you are smiling. This is a serious matter,” he nagged, his stare moving over to Baekhyun. “And you, have you never heard of table manners? Sit up straight, you good-for-nothing fool.”

“I’m not taking orders from you,” Baekhyun snapped at him, his smoldering glare burning a hole through Min’s head. The secretary was appalled.

“You should keep your dog on a leash, Miss Park,” he countered venomously. I tensed, not planning to let his rude insult slide. Clenching my hands to fists under the table, I willed myself to keep a cool head despite my anger.

“Mr. Min, you aren’t here to insult my bodyguard. He is doing a great job and the last thing you should call him is a fool or a dog. That is plain rude, and I will not tolerate your behavior. If you want me to listen to you, you will have to change your attitude,” I said, voice sharp like a knife. I saw his eyes widen a bit since he had never heard me speak like this to him before. Malicious glee flickered through Baekhyun’s eyes as he watched the secretary lose his composure. He followed our exchange with interest and his initial boredom was gone.

“Y-You…” he stuttered, gaping at me. “How dare you speak to me like that?”

“How dare you speak to Baekhyun like that?” I countered and lifted an eyebrow.

“But he is just a…”

“Mr. Min!” I yelled. He flinched back, looking at me like I had lost it. “We are here to talk about the upcoming event. Let’s not get carried away.”

I just wanted to get this damn conversation over with. His attitude unnerved me.

Min sighed dramatically, furrowing his brow. “You truly have no manners. Terrible,” he muttered before he raised his voice so I could hear him properly. “The event is hosted by one of Mr. Park’s trusted business partners. Many other successful businessmen of the pharma industry are invited as well, and since their families are expected to attend, you must accompany him. It will take place in a hotel close to Seoul and requires you to stay for the entire weekend.”

“You are aware of how risky that is. She will be exposed to unnecessary danger,” Baekhyun cut in, leaning forward and putting his arm on the table.

Min looked at him with disapproval in his eyes. “Of course I know! That is why you will accompany her,” he said snobbishly. “Miss Park, you will have dinner with everybody and make conversation. Please remember that your behavior must always be impeccable since your uncle’s image depends on it. He has to attend a meeting on the second day where you don’t need to be present, but during dinner, you have to accompany him again.”

It sounded boring, like a nightmare, but I knew that I had no choice. There was no way around it if I didn’t want to let my uncle stand in the rain and I owed too much to him to do that.

“It starts on Saturday?” I asked and he nodded in confirmation.

“Yes, at seven o’clock in the evening. You will stay the night at the hotel and leave on Sunday evening. You will drive together with Mr. Park and Mr. Li. Remember that you need to dress very formally,” he said. “That is all for now. If you have any questions before the event, contact me.”

Glad that we were finally done, I nodded at him. “Thank you, Mr. Min. Goodnight,” I said politely, while inwardly cringing and got up to leave. “Goodnight,” he retorted mockingly. I gritted my teeth and left the room, Baekhyun following me like a shadow.

As soon as we had climbed up the stairs to our rooms, I heard him mutter, “What an asshole.” I snorted in amusement. That summed it up.

* * *

The next day, my lectures started in the morning, requiring me to be on campus at 9 am. It wasn’t all that early and so I took my time getting a coffee at a nearby shop.

“Do you want something, too?” I asked Baekhyun as we stood outside in the warm sunlight. It was spring and the weather gradually got better; I liked being outside at this time of year and so I enjoyed the walk from the parking lot to campus. He looked undecided like he wasn’t sure what he wanted. “You know what? I’ll get something for you. It’ll be a surprise,” I smiled, eyes sparkling happily. My mood today was better than usual and I made the gorgeous weather responsible for it. The air was warm and pleasant, perfect to spend time outside.

Baekhyun watched me silently as we entered the coffee shop and I ordered something at the counter. I bought a chai latte for myself and an iced coffee for Baekhyun, hoping he’d like it. When we left the shop, he took a sip with mild curiosity flickering through his eyes.

“Is it good?” I asked hopefully and smiled widely as I saw him nod.

We strolled through the same park where we had been stopped by the thugs yesterday, but during the daytime, it looked completely different. Some students sat on the grass, reading books, or chatting with friends as they waited for their classes to start. The atmosphere was inviting and comfortable, a stark contrast to last night. Baekhyun seemed to think the same as he glanced around, his eyes sometimes lingering on the people that passed us. As usual, he stayed quite close to me. People who didn’t know our circumstances might have mistaken us for a couple seeing us like this. The thought made my cheeks redden and I inwardly scolded myself for thinking stuff like that. Maybe my talk with Jennie had given me weird ideas… She had been obsessed with the idea of us becoming a couple, but right now that was out of the question. Our situation was too peculiar to even consider romantic feelings. Besides, it wasn’t like he spent time with me because he wanted to; it was his job that required him to be close to me.

My good mood dimmed a bit when I saw Miyeon coming our way, Kihyun next to her. It didn’t take long for them to notice us and when they did, they approached us. “Great,” I muttered, rolling my eyes in annoyance.

“Hello Hyorin,” Miyeon said and smiled sickeningly sweet. “Nice to see you.”

“Likewise,” I answered sarcastically, taking a sip of my chai latte, not wanting to acknowledge her.

“You’re Baekhyun, right? Why don’t you hang out with us instead of her?” she said, getting closer to him while he stared at her without showing any kind of reaction to her words. His eyes were vacant and his lack of answer made Miyeon’s smile slip a bit. She grimaced, elbowing Kihyun to get him to help her.

“Um… If you want to, we could eat lunch together later?” he said, ruffling his hair in embarrassment. I could tell that he didn’t like the idea of being around Baekhyun since he wasn’t exactly friendly and his aura radiated danger.

“Not interested,” Baekhyun finally condescended to answer. Kihyun swallowed, peering at Miyeon who didn’t take it very well. She looked offended because she wasn’t used to being told no.

“Come on, you don’t want to hang out with that loser, do you?” she sneered, glaring at me in a haughty manner that made my blood boil with anger. This dumb bitch was good at ruining my mood.

“Do us all a favor and shut up,” Baekhyun snarled and his icy glower had her flinch. I couldn’t hold back a smirk when I saw it. Both Miyeon and Kihyun left after that, passing us by quickly without another word.

We walked on, reaching the entrance of the university building. “You have a way with words,” I commented amusedly, glancing at him to see a cocky glint in his eyes.

“I just don’t like snobs,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets. We passed the crowded hallways and sat down in the lecture hall. Baekhyun immediately got comfortable, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. Even though his posture seemed lazy, there was a sharp look in his blue eyes as he scrutinized the people in the vicinity. He was always prepared to face possible threats and I had to admit that I felt a lot safer when he was around. After what happened yesterday evening, I also knew that he was a reliable fighter even though he never carried weapons with him. The latter had surprised me at first, but now it didn’t bother me anymore.

“Baekhyun?” I asked, gaining his attention.

“What?”

“Any idea where we should eat lunch?” I knew that there were many restaurants in the vicinity since the university was located in the city center. Therefore, it was usually hard to decide where to go. One thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to avoid the weird stuff in the cafeteria… it wasn’t all that great.

“I liked the pizza we ate last week,” he mumbled before he went back to looking at the students that gradually filled up the empty seats.

“Great,” I smiled since I agreed with that. Deep down, I was relieved that he had opened up to me a bit more. He was very quiet and hardly talked and it was rare for him to state his wishes like he was used to not getting a choice. However, the more time we spent together, the more he began to speak his mind. By now, I even had learned of his dislike for cucumbers, a fact that had highly amused me at first.

Four hours later, when the morning lectures were over, I was pretty hungry and couldn’t wait to get pizza. It was surprisingly exhausting to sit around and listen to someone talking half of the day… That’s why I was glad I got a break. We left the campus grounds and went to a nearby pizza restaurant, the same we had already visited last week during lunch break. It wasn’t too crowded and so it was easy to find a table. Baekhyun chose one in a corner and I assumed he did it because this way it was easier to keep an eye on people.

We ordered the food and while we waited, I attempted to get a conversation rolling which wasn’t all that easy with the grumpy bodyguard. He answered with short sentences, sometimes simply nodding or not saying anything at all, but it didn’t bother me anymore. I was getting used to his closed-off personality, while he in turn was getting used to my rambling.

The pizza was delicious and I ate the whole thing in record speed. Jennie would have probably called me a pig, and even Baekhyun seemed amused at my table manners. He didn’t comment on it, luckily, but his lips curved up as he observed me.

* * *

“How are things going with your bodyguard?” Jennie asked curiously. We were sitting in my room talking. It was already dark outside and dinner was over. She had outdone herself today, her cooking skills being amazing as usual.

“What exactly do you mean?” I replied, shifting on the bed to look at her. She sat cross-legged on the fluffy carpet, hugging a big pillow to her chest.

“You know what I mean,” she grinned. “Isn’t he your knight in shining armor?” She giggled like an infatuated schoolgirl, infecting me with her laugh.

“Jennie,” I chortled. “Are you serious right now?”

“Come on, spill the tea! I want to know what’s going on between you!” she yelled. She was pretty hyper today, but I was already used to her shenanigans, so it didn’t surprise me.

“Well… not all that much?” I answered unsurely, looking at the ceiling in thought. “He beat up a few thugs that cornered us on the way home. Other than that… everything was normal.”

“You call that _not all that much_?” she commented, eyes growing bigger. “Sounds pretty dangerous to me. Did someone get hurt?” She sounded worried now, but there was no reason to be concerned and so I was quick to calm her down.

“Only the thugs,” I grinned. “They got what was coming for them.”

“That’s so romantic,” she sighed with hearts in her eyes.

I snorted, not getting what she was talking about. “How is beating someone up romantic? You’re so weird, Jennie.”

“You don’t get it, Hyorin,” she said, shaking her head at me. “Anyways, I have a great idea for tomorrow!” The excited spark in her eyes already told me that she had something interesting in mind even before she shared her epiphany with me. “Since your uncle is at work tomorrow afternoon, how about we use the opportunity to do something special with the cooking?”

“What?”

“How about you and Baekhyun cook together for a change? I’m sure it would be fun,” Jennie grinned. “And as you know, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

“You’re trying to set me up with him, aren’t you?” I groaned, hiding my face in my hands. I should have seen it coming.

“For now, I just want to make sure you two get along,” she smiled, looking like an innocent angel, but I knew that she had slightly less innocent intentions.

* * *

Friday afternoon, when my classes had ended, I stood in the kitchen with Baekhyun, growing desperate as I watched him cut vegetables. It looked like he was about to chop off his fingers and every time he moved the knife, I winced. Jennie’s idea had been ridiculous! Baekhyun had obviously never stepped foot into a kitchen before.

“Wait,” I interfered when I could no longer watch the horrifying scene. He stopped and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “You’ll end up hurting yourself when you do it like that. Please let me show you how to do it.”

I stood next to him, feeling his unreadable gaze on me as I focused on the task. I put my hand over his that was holding the knife, guiding it. “You move it like this…” I explained, while gently moving his hand with the knife to cut the carrot. “And then you won’t hurt your fingers.”

He didn’t say anything, and so I looked at him, suddenly realizing how close we were. I gazed into his electric blue eyes, noting how they faded to an even lighter shade of blue towards the inner circle of his iris. Strands of white hair slightly hung into his eyes, framing his face. For a few seconds, I completely froze like a statue before I managed to free myself from the spell he had over me. I let go of his hand and took a step back, blushing in embarrassment.

“Did you… uh… understand what I meant?” I asked, stuttering a bit.

“Yes,” he said. Amusement coated his voice and as I looked at him again, I caught him hiding a smirk when he turned back to the counter.

I busied myself with cutting the meat, trying to distract myself from my embarrassment. We were preparing bulgogi, a dish that was fairly simple to make. At least, that’s what I had thought before I saw Baekhyun trying to mince a carrot… Sighing, I began cutting onions, a task I always hated. It didn’t take long until I started sniffling, eyes tearing up. Reaching for a handkerchief, I wiped the tears away, but the annoying burning in my eyes remained. I hurried up and cut the damn onions as fast as possible, putting them into a bowl with the other ingredients.

“Can you please put the stuff from the bowl in the pan?” I said when I noticed Baekhyun standing next to the stove. I nodded my chin in the direction of the ingredients we prepared earlier. He remained silent, but I saw him picking up the bowl from the corner of my eye. Concentrating on the rice cooker, I completely forget about him, until a strange smell reached my nose. Was something burning in here?

“What’s tha…” I began but trailed off as I turned to look at Baekhyun who was about to ruin our food. “No, what are you doing!” I yelled, running to his side and turning the heat off. Everything had been about to burn, and I didn’t want to eat burnt food, so I removed the pan from the stove.

“Phew, that was close,” I breathed. Realizing how chaotic the kitchen looked, and how out of place Baekhyun seemed, I snorted. Breaking out in uncontrollable laughter, I held my stomach, feeling his gaze on me. When I succeeded in calming down, I wiped the tears from my eyes. “I don’t know why but this is funny as hell,” I grinned. His expression didn’t change, but there was a certain glint in his eyes that betrayed his amusement.

As I readied a set of plates, my eyes fell on Baekhyun’s hand that was slightly red. “Did you burn yourself earlier?” I gasped, putting the plates on the counter. “You should have said something.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” he muttered lowly, furrowing his brow when I put my hands on my hips and stared at him strictly.

“You’re stubborn, aren’t you? I told you before that you should always say when something’s wrong!”

I knew full well that a burn was painful and so I took his wrist and tugged him after me to the sink. I held his hand under the cold stream of water, hoping it would help. I didn’t know too much about treating burns, but I assumed that this should ease the pain. “Is it better now?”

I met his gaze and realized that he was scrutinizing me like he was trying to solve a difficult question in an exam. His eyes narrowed and his lips curled slightly. When he stared at me like this, he was a bit intimidating and the silence between us only worsened the feeling. After a moment, he looked away, sighing to himself.

“Yeah,” he answered. Right now, I wished I could hear his thoughts. Sometimes it was incredibly difficult to understand what was going through his head.

“Anyways, we should eat before it gets cold,” I said, trying to sound cheerful. I loaded two plates with food and carried them to the table in the dining room. He followed, sitting down across from me. When I ate the first bite, I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t bad at all! Even though some pieces of meat were slightly burnt, it tasted just fine.

“Wow… this is good,” I smiled, quickly taking another bite. As I glanced at Baekhyun, I was surprised to see an actual emotion on his usually indifferent face. He seemed happy, liking the food as well.

Maybe Jennie’s idea hadn’t been so bad after all…


	5. FIVE

Saturday arrived too fast for my liking. During the late afternoon, I spent time in my room and called Jennie to distract myself from my nervousness. She would constantly ask about Baekhyun and when she heard that we were invited to an event, she squealed so loudly I had to hold my smartphone away from my ear.

“Ouch, Jennie! What was that?” I grumbled but was unable to hold back a grin. I was sitting cross-legged on my bed, leaning my back against the wall and glancing at the ceiling.

“Girl, you need to put a lot of effort into your outfit and styling!” she went on, getting all excited.

“I’d rather not overdo it since I already know there will be a ton of sleazy old men at the event,” I complained. There were some people at these kinds of events that were nice, but most of them were two-faced and could not be trusted.

“You’re not dressing up for _them_. You’re dressing up for _Hyunnie_ ,” she said and even though I couldn’t see her, I knew that she was smiling widely.

“Jennie, don’t call him that,” I giggled. “Sounds too cute for him.”

“Don’t change the topic,” Jennie laughed. “We still haven’t finished choosing your outfit!”

“I’ll say it again; if I want to avoid any kind of negative attention, I shouldn’t overdo it,” I reasoned.

“You have a bodyguard, why are you even worried?” she said persistently, and I sighed.

“You’re not letting this go, are you?”

“Nope,” she chuckled.

We talked and joked around for a while and I enjoyed the distraction it brought. My nervousness had faded since Jennie was good at taking my mind off my worries and I was grateful to have a friend like her. However, soon I would have to get ready for the event since it was almost evening. I ended the call and hesitatingly walked over to my wardrobe, going over the dresses I owned. I chose a deep black one that would hug my body and flare out at my waist, floating to the ground softly. Its sleeves were made of black lace that formed a high collar on my neck. The dress was elegant and classy, fitting for a fancy business event.

I went into the bathroom to put my long black hair up, adding a hair clip with a silver flower that glinted in the light. Next, I applied subtle make-up, highlighting my eyes, and painting my lips light pink. I put on the dress, glancing at my reflection in the big mirror in my room. I looked like a different person and could hardly recognize myself. Attempting a smile, I sighed when it took on a desperate tone and gave up. This evening would be terrible, I already knew it.

I descended the stairs and saw that the others were already waiting in the lobby, looking at me when they heard my heels click on the floor. Minho wore a black suit that was nearly identical to Li Chang’s. The latter glared at me annoyedly, not hiding his dislike for me in the slightest. I avoided his gaze, glancing at Baekhyun instead who looked very attractive. He also sported a suit, but without a tie and his dress shirt was black as the night. As usual, he wore his white hair with a small braid that rested on his shoulder. I didn’t know what he was thinking since his face was filled with indifference when I arrived, but I felt his eyes follow my every move.

“You look gorgeous, Hyorin,” my uncle said proudly. “Let’s go, the driver is already outside.”

I thanked him and followed him outside where a sleek black sedan was awaiting us. The inside was spacious and so I sat down on the row of seats that was opposite my uncle’s and Li’s. Baekhyun sat next to me.

Yet again, I noticed the tension between him, my uncle and Li. The latter made it a point to glare at Baekhyun with a vengeance. It was honestly scaring me a bit because I wasn’t used to so much hate and anger surrounding me. What was his problem? Couldn’t he at least try to be polite? I had always known that Li wasn’t the kind of person to hide his thoughts and opinions and it went on my nerves.

“Mr. Min briefed you about this evening and tomorrow?” Minho asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the car as it drove towards its destination.

“Yes, he did,” answered calmly, resting my hands on my lap. “I know what I need to do.”

“That’s good. I’m proud of you, Hyorin,” he said seriously. I saw Li roll his eyes at his words, but I held myself back from snapping at him. That rude idiot! “And also… Zero-Four, you are responsible for her safety.”

Baekhyun didn’t answer and when I glanced at him, his expression was apathetic. The blank look in his eyes often appeared when Minho was around. It bothered me to see it since I knew that he was capable of showing emotions, but for some reason, my uncle’s presence triggered something in him. Something bad.

The rest of the drive was spent in silence. I sometimes glanced out the window or took a peek at Baekhyun. He was staring outside with a vacant look, the passing streetlamps painting an ominous light over his form. His blue eyes seemed to glow when they caught the light, and I found myself mesmerized by how beautiful they were. Soon, he noticed my gaze, prompting me to look away in embarrassment.

When we reached the luxury hotel where the event would take place, the driver opened the door for us. I left the car last, taking Baekhyun’s hand which he offered to me. When my heels touched solid ground and I didn’t stumble, he let go of my hand, surveying our surroundings. We stood in front of an expensive grand villa with huge windows. It certainly looked pompous... too overdone in my opinion. I entered the hotel next to my uncle, the bodyguards following us. My eyes roamed around in the entrance hall, taking in the sparkling chandeliers at the ceiling and the golden embellishments on the walls. We were greeted by a young receptionist that stood behind a counter and smiled at us. “Welcome! Are you guests of Mr. Kim?” she asked.

“Yes. My name is Park Minho, I have a reservation,” my uncle said, handing his credit card to her. She took it, typing something on her computer.

“Here are your room keys,” she said politely and handed us four distinct cards. I put mine in my purse, making sure not to lose it. “Do you need someone to pick up your luggage?”

“Yes, please,” Minho smiled.

“Great! I will arrange everything. It will be brought to your rooms. Enjoy your stay!” she said, showing us the way to the hall where we would eat dinner.

We entered a hallway that led us through another set of doors into a spacious room with a long table that was already prepared for dinner. Many other people were here, sitting around it. I expected Baekhyun to stay close, but when I sat down next to my uncle, I saw him and Li stepping back. They moved to a corner of the room. I noticed a few other bodyguards close to them and concluded that they had to stay back during dinner. I felt strangely vulnerable when Baekhyun wasn’t around and clenched my hands into fists, crinkling the black fabric of my dress. My posture was tense, betraying my unease as I sat at the table. I did my best to hide my anxiousness, but I didn’t know if it was working. Turning my head slightly, I caught Baekhyun’s gaze that rested on me. I smiled faintly, moving my attention back to the people around me.

“It’s good to see you, Mr. Park,” a man sitting across from us said. He was a bit older than Minho and wore a blue tie with his black suit. I had never seen him before, but I assumed that my uncle knew him from work.

“Likewise, Mr. Kim. Thank you for your invitation tonight,” my uncle answered pleasantly. “May I introduce my niece to you? She’s accompanying me.” Kim’s gaze landed on me, scrutinizing me from head to toe. It was uncomfortable, but I didn’t let it show, forcing a polite smile on my face. Tonight was all about pretending…

“Hello, Mr. Kim. I’m Park Hyorin,” I introduced myself, bowing a bit.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he replied, the smile on his lips not quite reaching his eyes. He intimidated me and so I was glad when the conversation shifted to another topic, my uncle sharing anecdotes from work. Soon, the first course arrived, and I busied myself with eating, occasionally listening to the conversations around me. Unfortunately, I was sitting right next to a woman that loved gossiping. She had a loud and annoying voice I just couldn’t ignore and slowly, my patience was waning.

I was incredibly relieved when dinner was over more than an hour later. I had tried my best to act politely and answered questions when it was necessary, but by now I was ready to turn and run. Sadly, the night was far from over. Now that dinner was finished, the guests began to mingle, leaving the table. I sighed, smoothening my dress before I got up reluctantly, feeling lost among the crowd of strangers. My uncle had walked off with one of his colleagues and I had lost sight of Baekhyun, too.

Before long, I was approached by a woman that acted very snobby. She wore a bright red dress and prominent make-up, suiting her confident personality. “Are you Mr. Park’s niece?” she asked, lifting her eyebrows so high it looked ridiculous.

“Yes, I am,” I answered tersely, not interested in a conversation with her.

“I heard you are an orphan. Did he take you in because he pitied you?” She was like a venomous snake and it disgusted me. How dare she ask something so rude! My anger grew steadily, the longer I had to look at her.

“I am grateful for my uncle’s help. He is a kind man and you shouldn’t speak so lowly of him,” I answered coolly.

“Hm… Is he really?” she said and hid her lips behind her hand when she laughed. “You’re naïve. And besides, what are you even wearing? Are you dressed for a funeral?”

I looked down at my elegant black dress. It lacked any kind of color, but I liked it. The cunning woman seemed determined to harass me, leaning in before she whispered something that made my blood run cold. “I heard you received death threats. Looks like you are already preparing yourself to die.”

My eyes widened in shock and I lost the tight grip I had on my composure. My calm expression slipped, and her laughter became mocking. Before I could answer, she turned around and left. Shaken, I stood glued to the spot, staring into space. _How did she know about the threats?_ Did people gossip about this kind of thing? But how would they find out? I was sure my uncle kept things under wraps.

In my panic, I struggled to breathe, the tight dress constricting my lungs. My eyes darted around, searching desperately for Baekhyun, but instead of finding him, I caught the attention of another stranger. He approached me as soon as our eyes met and I cursed my bad luck. “Hello. You must be Hyorin,” he said, taking my hand to kiss the back of my knuckles. I flinched, the old-fashioned greeting making me uncomfortable. He seemed to be a sleazebag and I didn’t want him anywhere near me. His eyes were so dark they almost appeared black and the look within them was straight up disgusting.

“I’m not interested,” I said quickly, attempting to get rid of him before he ruined my mood completely. My eyes were searching the crowd for white hair.

“Why? I think we would get along great. How about we go outside for a bit, hm?” he suggested, his sharp voice making me shudder. It sounded threatening and I didn’t like the direction this conversation was going.

“I don’t want to,” I replied rudely, not bothering to hide my aversion any longer. I hated it when people didn’t get the message. This guy was clearly too old for me and besides, his personality was terrible. He grabbed my wrist, pulling at it when I turned to move away. “Let me go,” I snapped, glaring at him, but his grip only tightened.

“Come on, wouldn’t want Mr. Park to hear about your rude behavior,” he whispered intimidatingly, leaning closer. I grimaced, struggling in his grip. Just at this moment, I spotted a pair of electric blue eyes across the room and breathed a sigh of relief. I had finally found him.

“I’m warning you, if you don’t let go this instant, you will regret it,” I hissed, moving my wrist that was starting to hurt. Suddenly, Baekhyun appeared next to us, forcefully grabbing the man’s arm and twisting it so he had no other choice but to let go.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Baekhyun snarled, his cold eyes making even me shudder. He moved so he was standing between us. The man flinched back, looking appalled.

“Who are you?” he stuttered, caught off guard.

“None of your business,” Baekhyun grumbled menacingly. “I advise you to leave before I break your arm.”

That did the trick. The man hurried away, hiding somewhere in the crowd. I didn’t care where he went as long as I didn’t have to deal with him anymore. My wrist was throbbing, no doubt already turning an angry red and I covered it with my hand, fingers ghosting over my skin. I looked up when I felt Baekhyun watching me, seeing a strange emotion flashing through his eyes.

“Can we… go outside for a moment? I think I need some air,” I said quietly and he nodded. He put his hand on the small of my back as he guided me, walking through the crowd and avoiding any curious stares that were thrown our way. We reached the huge glass doors that led to the garden and stepped through. The cool night air was a welcome change and calmed me down so I instantly felt better. We moved away from the building and the horrible people inside. The garden area was silent and I enjoyed the short moment of relaxation. It was dark outside, there was barely any light in the vicinity. I wouldn’t have come here if I was alone, but with someone by my side, it wasn’t all that scary. Glancing at Baekhyun, I realized that he was staring at my wrist with narrowed eyes.

“Baekhyun, is everything alright?” I asked carefully, worry coating my voice.

He laughed bitterly, shaking his head in disbelief. “I should be asking you that,” he muttered before he turned serious and shot me a look that made me freeze in my spot. His blue eyes reflected pain. “Why are you so kind to me? Why are you worried? Why are you calling me by my name when nobody else does?” The questions flowed out of his mouth as if a dam had been broken. He must have been thinking about these things for a long time without voicing his questions. I didn’t know what had changed, why he decided to open up now.

“Because I care about you and I want to be friends with you. It might sound silly and I don’t even know if you want…”

“It’s not silly,” he interrupted me. “I just think that you aren’t aware of what you’re getting yourself into. I’m not who you think I am.”

“Then… who are you, Baekhyun?” I asked softly, taking a step towards him. He didn’t hold my gaze for long, glancing off in the distance instead. The shadows of the night seemed to be closing in on us, the sparse light of the moon fading. His eyes hardened and the vacant expression that I hated so much came back, chasing his emotions away and making his eyes appear dead.

“You don’t want to find out,” he whispered apathetically. I did want to find out, more than anything in the world. The mystery that surrounded him and my uncle was driving me mad. It made me feel like I was staring into a bottomless pit; not knowing what awaited me if I slipped and fell. The emptiness in his eyes hurt me, it was hard to take. I wanted to help him, but I didn’t even know what the issue was.

“Baekhyun…” I began but was rudely interrupted by my uncle’s bodyguard who approached us with a dark look on his face. He was alone, Minho wasn’t around, and I wondered what was going on.

“There you are!” he yelled in fury, stopping in front of us, his whole attention focused on Baekhyun. “What did you think you were doing, hurting one of the other guests?”

“I was doing my job,” Baekhyun retorted annoyedly, unphased by Li’s anger. “Is there a problem with that?”

“I saw the whole thing! Do you have any idea how much trouble Mr. Park will be in if anyone hears of this?” So he was worried about Minho’s image. Of course, that was more important to him than my safety and he wasn’t even ashamed to admit it. What a despicable person he was.

“I don’t care. He deserved it,” Baekhyun retorted and glowered at Li.

“You fucking rat…” Li hissed, his temper getting the best of him. He slapped Baekhyun hard, shocking me with the brutality behind his actions. I knew that Baekhyun could have easily avoided the hit, but he didn’t, not flinching and not showing any pain. It must have hurt, though.

“Stop it!” I yelled furiously, my eyes blazing with anger. “How dare you! I will report your behavior to my uncle.” Li’s hateful gaze landed on me and he took a threatening step towards me. Baekhyun didn’t let him get any closer, standing in his way and covering me.

“Do you really think he would care about this… this monster?” Li laughed, highly amused by my words. I, on the other hand, was growing desperate, hating the fact that he had once more insulted Baekhyun. He didn’t deserve this kind of treatment, it was wrong.

“He’s not a monster,” I replied, but Li didn’t even listen properly.

“Go tell yourself that,” he grumbled, stomping back inside and leaving us standing in the darkness. I didn’t move for a while, staring after him without understanding his cruel words. I breathed a sigh and finally looked at Baekhyun. His cheek was reddening already, but the pain didn’t seem to bother him.

I bit my lip, worry making my heart clench. Lifting my hand to gently cup his cheek, I moved my thumb over his skin. He was surprised by the gesture but didn’t back away. I felt his piercing eyes on me, attempting to understand what I was thinking. “I’m so sorry for what he said. It was out of line and you shouldn’t be treated this way,” I said bitterly.

He hesitated for a moment before he found his voice. “Don’t apologize on his behalf.”

That was all he said, after that he fell silent. I couldn’t tell what was going on with him because he had closed himself off again, and I wondered how our conversation would have gone if Li hadn’t suddenly intervened. That man was nothing but a menace. I needed my uncle to understand that it would be better to fire him before he did something terrible.

“I think I would like to go to my room now,” I whispered, not wanting to spend time here any longer. I wished to stay far away from all the people at this damn event. It had been an exhausting night and I just wanted to rest.

“I’ll accompany you,” Baekhyun answered. I took out the room card, checking the room number before we headed back to the building. We slipped through the door and entered the huge dining hall. Baekhyun followed me closely, his cool aura keeping people from approaching us as we passed through. I was glad to leave them behind when we reached the lift that would take us to the third floor where my room was.

“Which room are you in?” I asked as the doors closed and the lift moved up. He glanced at his key card briefly. “322,” he muttered.

“Mine is 330,” I said, wondering why the rooms were so far apart. It appeared like there were several others in between. To me, it didn’t make much sense to be separated from my bodyguard. The thought alone was enough to make me uneasy, but I didn’t voice my concern because I thought it would make me sound pathetic.

The doors of the lift opened, revealing a luxurious hallway with a dark red carpet. Golden chandeliers decorated the ceiling, the glass stones hanging beneath them catching the light and reflecting it. I barely paid the pompous hallway any attention, checking the numbers at the doors, searching for 330.

“Yours is over there,” Baekhyun said, pointing to a door to our left. “Looks like mine is the other way.”

“Alright,” I answered, shooting him an unsure glance. “We’ll see each other tomorrow?”

“If something’s wrong, you know where to find me,” he said before he turned around to walk down the hallway in the direction of his room. I looked after him for a moment until he disappeared behind the door with the number 322.

Sighing to myself, I opened my room with my key card, immediately noticing my suitcase that was already here, standing in front of a spacious bed. When I walked up to it, I stumbled over something. Cursing, I looked at the ground and saw a letter lying there. I picked it up with a furrowed brow and turned it in my hands. It was addressed to me.

“Did someone slide it in underneath the door?” I mumbled, a bad feeling overcoming me as I opened it and took out its contents. I discovered two photos of me that were taken during dinner from one of the windows. I was sitting at the table, conversing with the other guests without realizing what was happening. My face was crossed out with a red marker in both photos. “Your days are numbered,” I read the words written beneath, my mouth falling open in shock. My body started to tremble uncontrollably as I fell to my knees. Fear consumed my mind, and I could no longer form a rational thought. The floor blurred in front of my eyes when tears welled up in them.

Whoever sent the letter had been here, directly in front of my room. They knew exactly where I was, maybe they were still nearby, only waiting for their chance to go through with their plan to murder me. My frightened eyes darted over my surroundings. I was terrified and scared to lose my life.

“I don’t want to die,” I breathed shakily, and that’s when I finally reacted as I should have from the beginning. “Baekhyun!” I screamed at the top of my voice, praying he’d hear it. I got up from the ground, pressing my back to a wall. My eyes fell on the slightly ajar bathroom door that I hadn’t noticed before. It was dark inside. Was someone in there, waiting for me?


End file.
